All that controversy sure seems to be working in favor of “Zero Dark Thirty”. Kathryn Bigelow’s film about the U.S. government’s mission to take down Osama bin Laden was one of nine movies nominated for a Best Picture Oscar last week, and it was also the number one movie at the box office this weekend, after expanding to theaters nationwide. The film, which some are boycotting due to its apparent stance on torture, grossed $24.4 million over a couple of other new releases.
“A Haunted House”, a parody of the “Paranormal Activity” films starring Marlon Wayans, debuted in second with a decent $18.1 million. “Gangster Squad”, the crime drama with an all-star cast headed by Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, and Sean Penn, has been hyped by Warner Brothers for a while (it was supposed to be released last fall, but key scenes had to be reshot after the Aurora theater shooting), but didn’t perform quite as well as was probably expected, coming in third with $17.07 million.
Other movies that were nominated for Oscars last week picked up some extra revenue this weekend, including “Lincoln”, which went from eighth to seventh, and “Silver Linings Playbook”, which went from twelfth to tenth. Meanwhile, last weekend’s surprise number one movie, the horror flick “Texas Chainsaw 3D”, dropped from first all the way to ninth.
The complete list of the top 12 movies at the box office this weekend is below.
- “Zero Dark Thirty”: $24.4 million
- “A Haunted House”: $18.1 million
- “Gangster Squad”: $17.07 million
- “Django Unchained”: $11.04 million
- “Les Miserables”: $5.6 million
- “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey”: $9.1 million
- “Lincoln”: $6.3 million
- “Parental Guidance”: $6.08 million
- “Texas Chainsaw 3D”: $5.2 million
- “Silver Linings Playbook”: $5.01 million
- “Jack Reacher”: $4.8 million
- “This Is 40”: $4.3 million
Check out showtimes for these movies and more at the following St. Louis-area theaters.
- Wehrenberg Theatres
- AMC Theatres
- Regal Movie Theatres
- Galleria 6
- Chase Park Plaza
- Granite City
- Moolah Theatre
- Hi-Pointe Theatre
- St. Andrews Cinema
- Plaza Frontenac Cinema
- Tivoli Theatre
For more info, visit Box Office Mojo, or feel free to email me. For updates on my latest articles, click the subscribe button at the top of this page. You can also follow me on the following websites:
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